


Modern Vampirism: Prequel

by jabedalien



Series: Modern Vampirism [5]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Prequel, References to Depression, Series, Winter, before abeds a vampire ok, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26176207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jabedalien/pseuds/jabedalien
Summary: This was mostly inspired by Oh. Ms Believer by twenty one pilots. Set in the universe of my vampire fic but set much earlier in their relationship, before Abed is turned.
Relationships: Abed Nadir/Jeff Winger
Series: Modern Vampirism [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1866472
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Modern Vampirism: Prequel

**Author's Note:**

> sometimes i forget this show is set in colorado so yk what heres a weird winter thing in late august. it gets pretty dark but nothing particularly graphic. you don't have to listen to the song but it is a nice song and there are a more than a few references to the lyrics.
> 
> There are references to the fact that Abed isn't eating, but this is not fleshed out in detail. 
> 
> It got kind of dark but you know everything turns out alright for them in the future so please keep that in mind !! This moment is ultimately a turning point for the better.

The second Jeff picked up the phone Britta was already talking. “I know you guys haven’t been, y’know, together long, but do you think you could take Abed in with you for a little while? He’s uh, he’s been scaring Annie a little. She’s trying, but it’s been tough lately.” She said, the words spilling through the speaker.

“I don’t know if we’re ready for that.” Jeff told her.

“I’m not trying to bring your relationship to the brink or anything, just a week or two. Annie needs some time to recharge.”

 _“Our relationship’s always at the brink. We’ve never been anywhere else.”_ Jeff wanted to say, but instead he said, “He can stay here for a while.”

...

It had been a few months since Abed kissed him for the first time, and they’d been figuring things out since then. They’d been dating for about two of those, but it was more like they’d adopted the label because everyone else found out about them.

Plus everything had just been dark lately. And cold. It was a dramatically shitty winter. It was a dramatically shitty winter for Abed in particular. Jeff could see it in his eyes, and it scared him along with the rest of the group.

Jeff had even tried to get in touch with Troy, to ask for advice on how they could help him, but nothing ever went through. If it had, Jeff wouldn’t ask him to come back, he could never do it, even when he looked at Abed’s broken eyes and knew if he told Troy about them he’d be there. But Troy had made his decision, and it was one Jeff respected. He loved Troy for it, for taking the kind of risk he never could.

So Troy was somewhere out there, and Jeff was here, taking his own kind of risk. Because there he was, opening the door for a shell of the only person he could ever love, completely gutted by someone else. His nose was still red with the cold, snowflakes melting against the fur edge of his coat. There was a duffle bag slung over his arm and his messenger bag against his side. He looked like he’d been out on some long expedition in a blizzard, coming home to Jeff. Beautiful as always, if a little beaten down by the weather. But the key with Abed was his eyes, Jeff knew that. And they were still dark, consumed by what he’d seen out in the snow.

“It’s bad out there.” Abed told him as he hung up his coat.

“When isn’t it?” Jeff shrugged, leaning to see out the window, where white flakes were flurrying down against the dark sky.

“Do you want something?” Jeff asked as Abed settled at his kitchen counter.

Abed looked restless, and Jeff had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. He’d started to learn that about Abed, just enough experience in the same bed with him to know how the night would go a few hours ahead of time.

Days when his eyes were shifty, checking over his shoulder, and he was up with nightmares. Jeff would get up to see Abed sitting against the headboard or at the edge of the bed, or curled into a ball, and would stay up with him till he could try sleeping again, not that _that_ often worked. He was more likely awake again within the hour, never telling Jeff what the dreams were about, just that they were pretty persistent in coming back and continuing their narrative even after he’s woken up from them.

Sometimes he’d come by Jeff’s with heavy bags under his eyes, usually admitting he hadn’t slept at all the night before, finally drifting off in Jeff’s arms, not waking up until late the next day.

Then times like this, when Jeff would feel himself falling asleep and Abed would still be wide awake with a faraway look in his eyes, and he was scared to leave him there like that no matter how many times he told him to sleep.

So Jeff decided he wasn’t leaving Abed there tonight, and he made himself a cup of coffee.

“Abed.” He repeated, shaking Abed’s attention out of him.

“Hot chocolate?” Abed answered.

Jeff nodded and grabbed the packet from the cabinet. He was hoping Abed would eat, but he’d take this for now. Looking at Abed across the kitchen as the stirred, he could see why Annie was scared. Covered as he was in his sweatshirt, Jeff could see how gaunt his face looked, the dark hollows of his eyes. He knew his mind was somewhere else, hands shaking against his lap.

Jeff passed him the mug and Abed took it in both his hands, warming them for a moment before taking a sip from it. He offered Jeff a small smile, and they both stayed there in the quiet for a few minutes, looking at the snow as it piled along the bottom of the window and buried streets below.

“Doesn’t look like we’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.” Jeff said between sips.

“That’s alright.” Abed said, getting up to put his mug in the sink. “Can we watch something?”

Jeff nodded, adding his mug next to Abed’s and walking to the couch. Abed grabbed a blanket and unfolded it, sitting close to Jeff and pulling it over himself.

He got settled under Jeff’s arm before speaking again. “Thanks for taking over Abed Watch from Annie. I know I’m a lot of work.”

“You aren’t.” Jeff told him. “She just gets worried, Abed, when you don’t eat or sleep or talk. We all do.”

“I know.” Abed said in a small voice.

“But it’s not work.” Jeff repeated. “We do it because we love you.”

He hoped Abed knew that he loved him _more_ than the others did, or at the very least in a different way. But Abed always knew Jeff’s insides. So he definitely knew, and that was probably the reason he was still here doing this. Because he was too good to hurt Jeff, even though his mind was living on a sailboat far, far away.

And that was where Abed belonged, wasn’t it? Jeff knew that. He’d seen everything Troy had been, knew that was the kind of person Abed deserved. Someone to come home to whose warmth thaws the snowy rooftops of his thoughts. Jeff wasn’t that. He was far too cold for that, his own misery making him much better at dumping more snow on.

“I just don’t get why you want to do this with me. It’s okay if you don’t, Abed. I hope you know that.” Jeff choked out against the quiet, feeling the words prick tears in the back of his eyes. It wouldn’t be okay, of course it wouldn’t. But he understood.

“Jeff I—“ Abed pulled back from Jeff’s chest, and his eyes were glassy. “You’ve been the only good thing for a while.” He said, voice breaking as he wrapped his arms around Jeff and buried his face in his shoulder.

Jeff blinked a few tears out of his eyes as he felt Abed cry against his shirt, holding him as tight as he could. Eventually Abed’s breathing evened and he turned his head, his cheek against Jeff. He didn’t dare say anything, and after another minute Abed spoke.

“I’m being honest though. You are—“ Abed stumbled through the sentences, his voice shaking a little before he cleared his throat.

“We’re a lot alike.” He restarted, his voice resonating against Jeff’s chest. “So I think you’ll understand what I mean. When I say that I know how much I need you but I don’t want to admit it. To anyone. Mostly myself.”

“You could say I’m familiar with the concept.” Jeff said, grabbing Abed’s hand under the blanket, his heart swelling at the small smile it got out of Abed. “I just wish I could make things better. And that’s not my strong suit.”

“You make everything better.” Abed said earnestly. “Spring will come eventually, but I can ride the winter out with you.”

“Always.” Jeff promised, leaning down and kissing Abed’s temple.

Abed’s shivers rested and he dozed off there, and they hadn’t actually turned the tv on, so he just listened to Abed’s steady breathing and watched the snowfall outside gather on the streetlamps. As he gingerly took Abed in his arms and brought him to bed he knew he would take Abed through a thousand winters, carry him in a foot and a half of snow if he had to. As long as they were there together he'd never want to be doing anything else.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading! im jabedalien on tumblr too :)


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